Get Connected!

MASNsports.com is your online home for the latest Orioles and Nationals
news, features, and commentary. And now, you can connect with MASN on
every digital level. From web and social media to our new mobile alert service,
MASN has got all the bases covered.

Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos, who has already landed on the disabled list twice this season due to a hamstring strain, suffered a setback in his rehab and likely won't be returning before the All-Star break, according to MASN's Julie Alexandria, who is with the team in Colorado.

Manager Davey Johnson told reporters that Ramos pulled up doing first-to-third drills while at the Nationals' minor league complex in Viera, Fla. Ramos had reported to Viera last Wednesday night and had been working on what he felt like were the final stages of his recovery from a left hamstring strain.

Ramos told me last week that he had received a platelet-rich plasma shot in his hamstring and was feeling healthy and strong. After this latest setback, he'll now need to go back to the early stages of the rehab process and will take a good bit of time to get back in the Nationals lineup.

The 25-year-old catcher, who tore the ACL and meniscus in his right knee last Mayand missed all but 25 games of the 2012 season, has appeared in just 14 games this season due to the repeated hamstring issues.

Ramos originally landed on the DL on April 13 due to a hamstring strain. He returned later in the month and played in eight games before aggravating the injury during a May 15 game against the Dodgers.

Kurt Suzuki and Jhonatan Solano are the two catchers on the Nationals' active roster with Ramos out. Suzuki has gotten the vast majority of the playing time between the two, playing 46 games this season.

Meanwhile, Johnson also told reporters, including Alexandria, that Danny Espinosa has been cleared to begin baseball activities after getting a cortisone shot in his fractured right wrist last week.

Espinosa, who was put on the disabled list June 4 (with the DL stint retroactive to June 3) will play in a rehab game with Triple-A Syracuse tomorrow. He's scheduled to play three innings.